Recommendation to Censure Speaker Straus

Liberty County Republican Party
Resolution #5-17
August 1st, 2017
 
Recommendation to Censure Speaker of the Texas House
 
WHEREAS​ Speaker Joe Straus has been issued votes of 'no confidence' or of 'Censure' by at
least thirteen Texas county Republican Party Executive Committees;
 
WHEREAS​ the Republican Party of Bexar County, the Speaker's Home County, voted to
encourage new leadership in the Texas House due to a lack of support for the Republican Party
of Texas Platform;
 
WHEREAS​ the Speaker has habitually rejected the conservative planks of the Republican Party
of Texas Platform;
 
WHEREAS​ under the Speaker's leadership, proposed legislation has been repeatedly and
willfully disregarded that is directly drawn from the Republican Party of Texas Platform, including
legislative priorities, as voted on by the people of Texas at the 2016 State Convention;
 
WHEREAS​ the Speaker has consistently packed his committee chair assignments with
Democrats and liberal Republicans in an effort to deliberately stall and kill conservative
legislation;
 
WHEREAS​ in Session after Session, Democratic legislation has a far greater chance of being
passed than conservative legislation;
 
WHEREAS​ in past election cycles, the Speaker has supported Democrat and liberal Republican
candidates, and has influenced the drawing of new district lines to enhance electoral outcomes
for liberal candidates;
 
WHEREAS​ the Speaker is notorious for making deals with Democrat lawmakers in order to
retain his seat and afford him the ability to lose Republican support in the ranks with little
consequence;
 
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED​ that the Liberty County Republican Party, through its
executive committee, votes no confidence in the Speaker of the Texas House Joseph Richard
Straus III and recommends he be censured by the State Republican Executive Committee of
Texas per Rule 44, for his dismal failure to support the core principles of the Republican Party of
Texas Platform;
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED​ the Liberty County Republican Party issue a press release of
said resolution to all media outlets, the party's webpage and social media pages, SREC
Committee Members Terry Holcomb (SD3) and Judy Parada (SD3), Representative Ernest
Bailes, and Republican Party of Texas Chairman, James Dickey within 72 hours of its passage.